Chicago Cubs’ Game One Wild Card starter brings considerable risk

The Chicago Cubs have announced their starting pitcher for Tuesday’s opening game of the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres.

Lefty Matthew Boyd will be taking the mound at Wrigley Field to kick off the best-of-three series against the Padres’ ace Nick Pivetta. And, while the announcement most certainly gave off a feel-good vibe all throughout the day on Monday, there’s also plenty of foreboding that comes with the Cubs’ choice.

Boyd’s season numbers (14-8, 3.21 ERA in 179.2 innings pitched) don’t really tell the complete story of the veteran’s 2025.

A tale of two Matthew Boyds

The Cubs’ offseason free agent acquisition was absolute killer over the first half of the season, posting a 2.34 ERA before making the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.

Things took a decided turn for the worst over the second-half, though.

Since the All-Star break, Boyd has been 4-5 with a 4.63 ERA. In his last 11 starts, he’s posted a 5.16 ERA. Aside from the solid 5.1 innings he gave against the Mets in his last start, he’s looked flat for quite awhile, perhaps worn down by the increased innings output in his first full, healthy season since 2019.

When looking at the situation right now, with Cade Horton on the IL and Shota Imanaga also looking a bit flat, the Cubs really had no choice but to make the game one choice that they did.

Whatever the case, Boyd is getting the ball and he’s embracing the emotion of not only pitching in the postseason after injuries had threatened his career, but also of pitching in the postseason for his beloved deceased grandfather’s favorite team.

Boyd’s emotional reaction to being the game one starter

“You think about a career,” Boyd told reporters, regaining his composure after fighting off tears. “It’s cool because you never know when the opportunity is going to present itself…I waited my first eight years to get the chance in the postseason. Didn’t really get to be a part of it on the field. I only threw one out. You never know when the opportunity is going to come again.”

“To do it with the Cubs, to do it with this group, it will never be like this again,” Boyd added “I mean, if we come back here, the personnel will not be the same. It’s a special group. It’s a good group of guys, and it’s unique to this moment. And that’s it…

“To get to think that I would have got this opportunity knowing everything about my grandfather growing up here, it’s cool, it’s cool stuff. He would be extremely happy.”

The 34-year-old will be coming into Tuesday’s game with one extra day of rest and a 1-1 record against the Padres this season with a 1.59 ERA in two games and 11.1 innings pitched (Padres starter Pivetta is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA versus the Cubs this season).

The Chicago Cubs’ winning gamble

“We’re lucky to have Matt,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told media. “He’s a big reason why we’re here. He’s been our consistent take-the-ball-every-time starter and you’re happy to hand the ball to a guy like that.”

The Cubs took a major gamble on the veteran free agent this past offseason when they signed him to a 2-year, $29 million contract after a multi-year run of health issues, including Tommy John surgery in mid-2023. In 2024, he only threw 51.1 innings, combining regular season and postseason appearances for the Cleveland Guardians. In the four years before 2025, he had only managed a combined 202.2 innings and hadn’t pitched over 100 innings in a single season since 2019.

When Boyd’s right, he’s easily an ace-level presence. The shaky part, however, is that Boyd hasn’t been “right” for awhile. Expect a quick hook from Counsell for this all-important game one of the Cubs’ first playoff appearance since 2020.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-matthew-boyd-playoffs-risk